


I don't know how to celebrate Valentine's Day and at this point I'm too afraid to ask

by shining_clown



Category: Winx Club
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comedy, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Food, Happy Ending, Humor, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Nex/Roy (Mentioned), Not Canon Compliant, Pick-Up Lines, Porn With Plot, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Smut, Swearing, Teasing, Valentine's Day Fluff, only the last few chapters are smut, shit doesn't actually go down it's just riven struggle tweets, the bulk of it is fluff and humor, will add tags for smut later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:06:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29430711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shining_clown/pseuds/shining_clown
Summary: After Brandon announces his plans for Valentine's Day, Riven realises he has to start preparing for it for the first time in his life. Shit goes down.
Relationships: Brandon/Riven (Winx Club), Riven/Brandon (Winx Club)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	1. Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic! Or at least the first one I'm posting here...Much thanks to my two friends for helping me and giving me suggestions and feedback for this entire fic! :)

"Riv, ever eaten at this place before?"

Riven pauses chewing his burger mid-bite, looking up and squinting at the phone screen Brandon flashed in front of him before taking the device out of his hand completely to get a closer look at the name.

"Isn't this the restaurant Sky was raving about a long while ago? 'Course not, that's probably too expensive, look at what we're eating now." He gestures to their cheap lunch of fast food burgers and fries, placing the phone back in Brandon's hand and continuing to chew his food. "I haven't even seen this place with my own two eyes before, much less eaten there. I've only seen the place from the picture you just showed me!"

"Well, would you wanna go? Y'know, if you had the chance to."

Riven raises an eyebrow. "...yeah, guess I wouldn't mind. The way Sky described the steak did seem pretty fucking good.." His response was muffled by the food in his mouth.

‘Wouldn’t mind' was an understatement. God, the extensive descriptors that blondie used to describe the food really made the probably frozen beef patty he was eating right now taste like salty garbage.

"I agree, trying the lamb chop does seem like a transcendent experience...Listening to Sky talk about it during missions is practically torturous! How many times does that guy even go there? But anyway, that’s great!" Brandon says. "Whew, if you said otherwise, that would be real bad!”

Riven takes a sip from his cola. “What the hell does that mean?"

"I've booked a private room in that restaurant for us for Valentine's day-"

A loud choking and vehement coughing noise from Riven startles Brandon. As the concerned man was just about to stand up to pat his back or maybe do the Heimlich maneuver, Riven raises his hand to gesture him to sit back down.

"I-I'm fine...! But you did _what_?!"

"I've booked a private room for us in that restaurant for V'day, 7pm!” Brandon’s voice practically oozes with excitement, in contrast to Riven’s strained and spluttering one.

Right, Valentine's day. The mere mention of that event with the backdrop of the way-too-early Christmas decorations in the fast food outlet along with the tacky holiday music playing noisily in the background was really throwing Riven off.

He was never someone to prep for V’day, whatever sparse relationship he had before this usually didn't last till then anyway. If it did, his lack of planning for it usually led to the relationship ending in a heated argument that day. He was very used to lying in his bed binge watching movies or practicing electric guitar, not that he minded very much. Almost anything would be better than ending the day with a breakup anyway.

What he did mind, however, was all the stupid lovey-dovey couples having public displays of affection in front of him. "Fuck off! Just do it in private and go get a room, I don't wanna see that shit!" was always the recurring thought that stuck in his head. To say the least, he had definitely not thought much about it until now. Well, that wasn’t exactly true either...but repressed memories about people being grossly affectionate in public was what he mostly associated with the 14th.

"V’day is three months away."

"Yeaaah, but I gotta prep for these kinds of things early so I don't rush at the last minute. Sky warned me that the restaurant was always fully booked for weeks, so I decided to just jump the gun and call in early. And hey, they still had private rooms available for that day since I booked so early, that’s a win in my book!”

Riven watches the man pop the last morsel of his burger into his mouth. Thinking about it again, Brandon was probably too well-associated with the idea of preparing for Valentine's day, especially with the numerous of girls he dated before this. To Riven's knowledge, girls-or at least most of the ones that he knew of- seemed to rave about guys planning dates for them. No surprise there that Brandon would make it a habit to arrange such things in advance, especially for such an important day.

However, at the back of his mind, he had an inkling that it was also just part of the brunette's personality to take such events seriously. _Especially_ Valentine's day. That thought makes Riven’s eyebrows knit together, his heart feeling like it was being clenched and his gaze fixated on nothing in particular.

"Why'd you look so worried? Relax dude, I've got everything planned out-" Brandon reaches out and clutches the man's hand reassuringly, snapping him out of his deep train of thought. "-I've even got a surprise in store for you!"

Riven pauses his eating again, his eyes widening. He did not like that playful, awfully suspicious tone in the man's vague words.

"Wh...What does that mean?"

"You'll just have to find out on the day itself!"

Riven stares the man with utter horror in his eyes. Brandon's equally vague answer added on to the suspense that was killing Riven, as if the dinner hadn't surprised him enough. He had been putting off thinking about Valentine’s for a while now, that was simply too daunting a task for him to do. But the mere mention of it by Brandon, coupled with the sudden dinner plans announcement and god knows what ‘surprise’ felt like a punch in the face. Riven nervously takes big gulps of his drink and tries to take his mind off things by scarfing down the rest of his meal, his food was going cold and Brandon had already long finished.

Suddenly, an idea hit him. 

Riven stands up abruptly. “I'm done, sorry for the wait. Let's return to the dorm." Brandon follows suit, wondering why he seemed to be rushing to go home for some reason.

If he didn’t know how to confront the problem, perhaps someone else could do it for him. A few others more qualified than he to tackle the problem...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for picking up my fic :) ! I'll be updating the chapters on this slowly (but hopefully regularly!) The fic is alr mostly finished but I still need to iron out and edit older chapters I wrote. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first short chapter!


	2. Emergency Meeting

"Well, look who we have here! What is it this time, Riven?” Sky's sarcastic response to Riven's knock on his door earned an annoyed look from the man, but he was accustomed to the noisy jabbering. He ignores the man's question and rudely walks right past him.

Behind, he notices Helia’s hunched form working furiously at his desk. Probably another fancy art piece. The man doesn’t even glance in his direction. In a bid to annoy him, Riven peers over Helia’s shoulder. Predictably, he is met with a glare, followed by a “Go away.” What a nice welcome.

Pleased that he has successfully done his job, Riven pulls out a nearby stool to sit. Gotta make himself comfortable in the lion’s den if he was gonna be here for long. "Are Timmy and Nex around?"

"They should be, none of us are seeing the Winx today. They've decided to have a 'girls outing', as Flora calls it." Helia responds, turning his swivel chair around.

"Why’d you need them? Trying to call all the specialists to my room?" Sky closes the door behind him and raises his brows. 

"Actually, yeah I am. I'll elaborate later...Your room is the biggest outta the bunch anyway.”

“Odd that you didn’t call over Bran though. Maybe I’ll just drop everyone a text in the group chat-”

“No!” Riven jumps up, grabbing Sky’s arm. “Just...don't call Brandon. He can’t know about this." 

"Oooh...I see." 

Sky’s response is lukewarm, but there was a definite glint in his eye. Riven scowls.

“Don’t get any ideas, blondie.” He growls.

“This is gonna be interesting...Just like whatever you two do every nigh-Ow!” Sky grimaces in pain, staring squarely at the angry dog who was baring his teeth and gripping his forearm painfully now.

“Woah Riven, chill! That's a very scary expression you've got there... I'll just dial the rest of them up, alright? Can you _please_ let go of me now?" The fuming Riven releases his hold on Sky and sits back down in his chair with a loud thump. Overhearing the man’s way too enthusiastic tone over the phone, he heaves a loud sigh and squeezes his eyes shut.

"I highly doubt it's every night, Sky. Our ears can hear perfectly fine..." Helia visibly winces and shudders at his own words. “...Though in moments like those I **really** wish they didn’t.”

Riven is too exasperated to bother with any witty or angry physical response back, opting for a loud grunt of annoyance directed at both offenders. He needed both their help for this anyway. 

Moments of silence later, there was another knock on the door as Timmy and Nex arrived at Sky's dormitory, letting themselves in and finding a place to sit on the long couch pushed against the wall. Timmy held up his phone with a familiar face projected out via hologram.

"I thought it'd be a good idea to call Nabu to join us, perhaps!" Timmy holds up his device as Nabu waves and gives a polite smile to the group who nod in acknowledgement, some giving a brief wave in return.

"Oh, that's good actually. Thought he’d be the best person to answer my question but didn't wanna bother asking him to come over for such a small thing. I suppose this would suffice." Despite the tiffs they’ve had before, out of all the people here, Riven trusted his advice the most.

“Roy’s busy today, something about job errands cropped up so he has to be at the dock.” Nex laughs before continuing. “Though, I doubt that guy can help much in the realm of relationship stuff, considering what I’m experiencing with him right now. I think Timmy would know.” The rest give a small laugh, the comment prompting a small snort from Riven. 

"Soo Riven, what is it that you called us all here for?" Sky pried, as he made himself comfortable on the last seat available on his couch. Everybody turned their attention towards Riven, interested to know whatever gossip he had to share perhaps. 

"Ugh, I hate doing these things…” Riven slumps over, a hand on his cheek as he exhaled loudly. “I wanted to ask you guys about Valentine's day-" 

A small discussion erupts amongst the gang. Was the question that out of place that it deserved to stir such a buzz?

"Damn Riven, first time seeing you prepare for Valentine's! So early too, Christmas hasn’t even passed yet-”

"Shut up Prince, that wasn't the question I posed. If you must know the details, remember that restaurant in Magix you went with Bloom that time and were raving non-stop about? Brandon told me he already booked a dinner slot and private room there for V'day..." 

"Wow Bran...When I said ‘book early’, I didn’t mean three months in advance...” But Sky seemed impressed, maybe at the fact that Brandon actually took his advice in the first place. “Man, you should've booked another room elsewhere as well..." the blonde mumbles under his breath. 

"Plus, he said something vague like 'I have a surprise for you'. Like, what the fuck does that mean?!" 

"He's getting you a gift for Valentine's day, you idiot." Helia replies without hesitation. "I don't know what kind of gift per se, but I'm quite sure of it."

"I'm not too astute on the practice of gift-giving myself because I rarely go out with Tecna on dates...but I think you might be right, Helia. It isn't out of the realm of possibility that he already got your gift too." 

"I second that observation." Nex pipes up. 

"Fuck.” Riven curses under his breath. “God, I had a similar hunch. I knew it. I knew it!”

"From what I've learnt and heard from others, Valentine's day is an event to celebrate lovers coming together, right?" An innocent question from Nabu, but Riven instinctively winces a little at the use of the term "lovers". He nods nevertheless, the man wasn’t wrong.

"The custom of gift-giving during that day seems like a common practice as well, so that would seem like an appropriate conclusion. But to my memory, that custom is reciprocatory, no?" Nabu pauses to think for a moment, hesitating to speak his mind and utter the words that follow. "My apologies for saying this...but my guess is that you haven't prepared a gift in return yet? Please correct me if I'm wrong though."

Riven doesn't like that Nabu hit the nail on the head, taking another deep sigh. "...No, you're absolutely right." Nabu gives a satisfactory nod in his direction but doesn't comment or probe further.

"I suppose that brings the discussion to the next question: what are you gonna get for Brandon? Well, if you intend on getting anything, that is." 

Nex poses a good question. He was definitely gonna reciprocate Brandon's gesture, it would be incredibly rude of him to not do so after the man had so kindly mentioned his own gift. Plus, he had already had the passing thought of giving Brandon something small for that day, to make up for his lack of plans. A little appreciation (and apology) gift, if you will.

But getting confirmation that he was receiving a gift himself, along with Brandon already making plans in his stead, piled pressure onto Riven. Now his own gift had to be absolutely perfect. How else was he gonna compensate for all that? What gift would even suffice?

His mind came up completely blank.

"I...don't know."

"Ahhh, tough decision eh? Need some help brainstorming?"

Riven nods in response to Nex's offer. "Sure, that would be awfully nice." He shoots a glare at Sky. "But serious answers please, I'm desperate here."

The six men thought long and hard about the question. Sky breaks the moment of silence with an exasperated sigh, scratching the back of his head. 

"This is a harder question than I thought... I'm his childhood friend for heaven’s sake, and even I'm not too sure." 

"My hypothesis is that it might be because we usually ask Brandon himself for answers to these types of questions, so when the tables are turned on us..." 

"...we don't know how to answer them." Nex finishes Timmy's sentence. The bespectacled man laughs nervously and nods.

"Shit, this wasn't the answer I was expecting. I guess we're all kinda on the same page now..." Riven fidgets and shifts about in his seat restlessly, his habit of shaking his leg unconsciously kicking back in.

Helia suddenly turns towards the blonde man on the couch as though he had an idea. "Sky, is there anything Brandon tells you about Riven when he's travelling with you to Eraklyon? Or anywhere, really. Doesn't have to be good. Actually, the worse the better-" 

Riven stands up with a start. "Excuse me? You tryna pick a fight with me right now-" 

“Riven, sit back down.” There is a rising sharpness in Helia’s voice as he stares up at the other man who has his fists clenched. This wasn’t uncommon. “I’m not, I would beat your ass at a fight anyway. I’m genuinely trying to help you this time. I know you’re worried, but _please_ keep your fiery temper at bay if you want our help.” Riven glares defiantly at Helia for a while more, but sits back down as instructed with a sharp exhale. “Sky, please continue.” 

"Bran talks sooo much about him, but most of it is just general cooing. If I’m being honest, I don't really wanna hear about it anymore!" There is a short pause, as he briefly glances at Riven. "But I think he does occasionally mention that he wishes Riven would reciprocate his affection more in physical gestures. Rather wistfully too." 

Riven looks away sheepishly and huffs. He did consider the fact that his usually standoffish personality and disdain for physical affection and touches might have not gelled well with Brandon, who was almost the polar opposite. But hearing this was definitely sobering and confirmed that doubt. Maybe that's why he was so worried about preparing for Valentine's day. 

Noticing Riven’s odd body language and almost crestfallen face, Sky continues hurriedly. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think he's too personally affected by it. He mostly jokes about it like 'I wish he would initiate kissing more often' or 'I wanna cuddle but he keeps pushing me away, boo hoo', something like that. I think he's just mentioning it as an offhand comment." 

"That may be true, but it raises a good point nevertheless." Nabu suddenly pipes up again. "I obviously don't think you need to change your personality for him, but I think Brandon would really appreciate it if you were more physically affectionate with him on Valentine's day. Make him feel special." 

“It’s not a gift idea by any means, but maybe it doesn’t have to be a physical gift. It could well be any nice gesture, or an act of service, I don’t think Bran minds at all. In fact, I think he would like almost anything you give him if you seemed to have put thought into it, really. I should know.” Sky continues.

Helia shrugs. “Then again, I don’t know if he even uses the birthday gift I got for him. Oh well, I agree with Sky wholeheartedly anyway.”

"I'm not too well-acquainted with him as compared to you five, but he does feel like that kind of person." 

"See, even Nex can tell. If you still want to get him a physical gift then...though I can solve math problems, I think this might be a question you have to answer yourself, Riven. Besides, you have plenty of time! 3 months and 4 days to be exact."

"Right, Brandon already gave you a headstart to prep ahead. Maybe you just have to think harder and look closer at what he likes, and make a note of it." Helia gestures to his notepad with the point of his pencil. "Or y'know, make a mental note of it up there if writing it down isn't your style." 

"Maybe don't come back to the dorm so quickly when you two are out next time. Go take a walk around Magix during the weekends and see if he fancies anything. That's what Bloom tells me works best for her when finding a gift for Stella anyway." 

"You're the one that should know Brandon the best, apart from Sky. Considering the amount of time you spend with him, statistically, I think you can do it! If you want, we can tell you if we notice anything." Timmy pushes up his glasses again, giving the oddly quiet Riven a crooked smile of encouragement.

Riven contemplates his friends’ suggestions. Deep down, he knew they were right. Technically, the onus was on him to scour for a good gift, but instead he was here asking his friends for suggestions. While he did feel a tad guilty about that, the suggestions provided along with the encouragement and reassurance from his friend group did help him feel slightly less worried about this. And credit had to be given where credit was due. 

"Thanks for the help guys, I think I have a clearer idea now, or at least a vague plan of where to start. Thanks for the offer Timmy, but you’re right, this is something I’ve gotta settle myself, so I’ll have to reject it." Riven turned his head up to look at them again, before standing up. “I think I gotta go now, or else Brandon would notice that I’ve disappeared. I’ll ponder what you guys have said though.” The man gives a small wave before turning to leave.

"Wait, Riven-" he turns his head back at the call from Nabu.

"I'm not too sure how much this applies to your relationship, but perhaps...telling him your feelings would be good?"

Riven looks quizzically at the hologram, "What d'you mean?"

"Brandon seems pretty self-assured from what I can observe, but I think even he would appreciate words of assurance and affirmation of your love from time to time, and I think Valentine’s day would be a perfect opportunity for that."

Riven hesitates, knowing what Nabu was trying to prod at. His eyes turn away and he gives a resigned sigh. 

"I'll...I'll try my best."

Nabu gives a gentle, calming smile in his direction. "I think that would be good enough for him."

As Riven was about to quickly leave, an idea clicked in his head. "Wait...Sky, you mentioned something about Brandon wanting to cuddle, right?" 

"Yeah, he's made a comment about it once or twice. You have something in mind?" Sky has a devious grin on his face. 

"I think I might have an idea..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was longer than the first and had to go through quite a bit of changes and editing...I hope you guys like it! (The chapters get longer so I might take longer to post/edit them!)
> 
> Yes, this was the only mention of Nex/Roy and yes Nabu is alive in this. Don't ask me the details bc I can't explain it to you either...I just wanted Nabu to exist bc I can haha :,) 
> 
> Fun fact: Sky's personality used to be A LOT more informal and vulgar but I decided to mellow him down (aka remove some sex jokes haha, yes there used to be more-)


End file.
